


asleep on your feet

by lovebeyondmeasure



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Ficlet, Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Sharing a Bed, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 12:49:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13271787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovebeyondmeasure/pseuds/lovebeyondmeasure
Summary: Peggy was watching Steve, who was leaning with one hand on the tabletop, listening to Monty Falsworth.Just then, as Monty was gesticulating wildly, Peggy saw Steve’s eyes close, saw him lurch forward just a tad, then jerk himself alert and upright.--------------------During the war, Steve's not always good at putting his own needs first. Good thing Peggy's not afraid to.





	asleep on your feet

As men argued over the kitchen table they had taken to using as a command center, Peggy was evaluating the faces of the men sitting there. Standing off to the side, sipping a cup of some of the worst tea she’d ever had the misfortune to brew, no one noticed her sharp gaze.

Most of them were too pale, too thin; rations weren’t enough for good health, only survival. That was to be expected. She was looking for the cracks, for men who were hitting their breaking points. 

Most of the men, really, were hitting their breaking points.

“Alright, men,” Steve said suddenly, sending the many conflicting conversations to a halt. “This doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and I think we could all use a night of whatever passes for decent rest around here. Why don’t we reconvene in the morning.”

The command was thinly disguised as a question; the men began standing up, shuffling out. Peggy was watching Steve, who was leaning with one hand on the tabletop, listening to Monty Falsworth.

Just then, as Monty was gesticulating wildly, Peggy saw Steve’s eyes close, saw him lurch forward just a tad, then jerk himself alert and upright.

He was- _that bloody fool is literally falling asleep on his feet!_ Peggy thought, outraged to cover her worry. 

“Monty,” she said, coming in to the room properly, “would you mind if I stole the good captain away for a moment?” Before either man could formulate a reply, Peggy had Steve by the shoulder, her grip like iron, and was steering him out of the room.

They were halfway up the stairs of the farmhouse before Steve managed to protest.

“Peggy, that was important, what are you-”

She hauled him into the bedroom she’d commandeered when they’d taken over the abandoned farmhouse. It had a proper bed and washstand, and she’d been given enough free time that she’d managed real pillows, even. 

Most importantly, it had a door.

She shut them in and pulled the rickety chair over to block anyone from interrupting them. The men would most likely think- well, what men thought, but they would do so regardless. That wasn’t her main concern.

Steve was determinedly still standing, but Peggy was nobody’s fool; she could see how his knees were locked, how he kept one hand on the foot of the bed.

“Steven Grant Rogers,” she said, folding her arms. “You are a fool.”

“Hey!” he said. “I’m just trying to do my job, okay? I don’t know what you’re about, but I should be down with my men-”

“You’re falling asleep on your feet,” she said over him. “You’re a danger to yourself and others, in this state. When was the last time you slept?”

His jaw snapped shut, and flexed angrily. She exhaled heavily.

“It’s been at least a full day, hasn’t it?” she prompted him.

“Closer to two,” he admitted, looking away. “Since I sent Bucky on that mission-”

“Sergeant Barnes is extremely capable and will be fine,” she said firmly. “You, on the other hand, look as though a stiff breeze would blow you down.”

He had nothing to say to that.

“Mmm. That’s what I thought. Now, into the bed with you.” He stared at her, nonplussed. She sighed. “Go on, captain, get yourself into the bed. You need your rest, and sleeping on one of those tiny cots downstairs won’t cut it.”

“But this is your bed!” he said, as he began to remove his jacket. 

She smiled tightly. “I think we both know you need it more. I’ll stand watch, captain, so you can rest easy, and I’ll sleep in the truck tomorrow.”

He was down to his shirt, now, and Peggy did her level best not to gaze at the broad sweep of his shoulder, the curl of his bicep, the way his hips narrowed….

“Are you sure?” The way he continued to seek confirmation, even as he followed her instructions, was endearing.

“Perfectly sure, captain.” He sat on the bed to tug off his boots, placing his socks neatly inside them, and as he leaned down, his shoulders slumped.

“Peggy,” he said, in a small, tired voice. “I don’t know what I’m doing, not really. How can I expect these men to follow me when I don’t even trust myself? How can I send- my men-” _Bucky-_ “out into situations I won’t go into myself?”

Peggy softened. She went over beside him, touching his shoulder gently.

“You’re doing a fine job, Steve,” she murmured gently. “What you need now is rest, proper rest.”

His hand came up to take her, and his thumb stroked her palm gently, running over the thin scars there.

“Will you-” he swallowed convulsively. “Would you- stay with me?”

“Oh,” she said, broken heart breaking a little more. “Of course I will.”

“I mean- in the bed,” he said. “Not anything- improper, I swear, I just- it’s hard-”

Peggy reached out to run one hand into his fine, soft blonde hair. “Oh, Steven,” she whispered. “Yes, darling. I’ll stay with you.”

He sighed, and it was as though he was releasing the weight of the world, if only for a moment.

“Get under the covers,” she prompted, nudging him.”Go on. You’re already half-gone, and I can’t move you alone.”

He made a sound that was almost a laugh, which turned swiftly into a jaw-cracking yawn. Peggy smiled, just the turn of her lips.

He clambered under the covers, tugging them up around him until he was sufficiently comfortable. Peggy gently removed her shoes, and carefully removed her outermost layer of clothing. Sleeping in her brassiere wasn’t optimal, but she thought removing it would cause more problems. 

Under Steve’s heavy gaze, she took down the rolls of her hair, neatly placing the precious pins on the room’s single dresser, before coming to settle atop the blankets next to him, her back against the headboard. Steve turned towards her, curling up as small as he could, pressing into her hip.

Once more, she began stroking his hair, and it was only a minute or two later his breathing evened out, the tension in his shoulders unspooling. She watched his face relax, and wished he could always be this way: soft, and gentle, and quiet.

After a time, she shifted away; he stirred as she left the bed.

“Peggy?” he asked, in a voice blurred by sleep.

“I’ll be right back,” she whispered. “Go back to sleep.”

But he stayed half-awake, not closing his eyes again until she was back beside him, now clad in proper sleeping garments and with her own blanket.

“What w’s that?” he asked softly, blinking at her. She smiled. 

“Just leaving a note for the lads. Get your rest, captain.”

He nodded, gently, and with her comforting weight and warmth beside him once more, slipped back into his exhausted slumber.

On the door, pinned in place with a small, very sharp pin, a note read:

_Captain sleeping. Do not rouse unless emergency or 8 am, whichever comes first._

_I MEAN IT._

_-Agent Carter_

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I wrote Steggy, but a kind anon who had a bad day came and asked for some hurt/comfort and how could I say no? 
> 
> Stop by with your own prompts any time @ lovebeyondmeasure.tumblr.com


End file.
